I'll Hold You When You're Scared
by Goth Albino Angel
Summary: After the events of Forever Royal, Sofia has been having nightmares about being trapped in the Amulet. Amber comes to comfort her, but perhaps Sofia isn't the only one who needs comforting tonight.


_**I, in no way shape or form, own Sofia the First. Simply the plot of this fic.**_

_**Something I thought up based on a piece of artwork and the series finale. Hope you like it!**_

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She was falling. Everything was dark around her, but gradually, fragmented light filtered through. Above her, Amber's face gazed down with a worried expression, breaking off into fractals the further Sofia fell.

At last, her descent slowed and Sofia glanced around. There was nothing for as far as she could see. The entire area glowed pink, but the only thing she could see was her family's faces above her.

Lifting to her feet, the young princess tried to find a way out. There had to be a door or a hidden passage or something. There was always some hidden way out. But no matter how far she walked, Sofia only came into contact with fractaled walls or nothingness. For as far as she could walk, only jeweled walls greeted her.

After a while, Sofia sat down. She wasn't exhausted from walking, but with nowhere to turn, there was no point in continuing. Above her, her mother's face shone down at her, gradually growing older and aging until she no longer could be seen. Sofia gasped as the same happened to her father, and then again to James. Even Baileywick and Cedric wasted away before her very eyes. At last, Amber's face moved in front of the amulet one last time before she, too, disappeared. All of them were gone, aged and dead.

And Sofia was still trapped in the amulet.

Sofia gasped, flying up in bed. Patting herself down, the youngest Echancia heir affirmed that she was indeed still herself. A quick look around her room also confirmed that she wasn't stuck in some kind of fractal prison, either. Sofia breathed a soft sigh, pressing a hand to her heart and clutching the blanket tightly with her free hand.

The dream had felt so real. It always did. Every time, she would be stuck inside the amulet, unable to get out. She'd remain in there forever. Shuddering, Sofia pulled the blanket up to her chest, tears pooling at the corner of her eyes.

"Sofia?"

Blue eyes snapped to the door to find Amber peeking in cautiously. The older princess crept into the room, gently shutting the door behind her. Sofia relaxed further with each step her sister took closer. Amber climbed up onto Sofia's bed and eyed her with concern.

"What are you doing awake?" she inquired quietly.

Sofia shrugged and Amber placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Sofia, you know you can tell me anything. I'm _here_ for you."

"I just…" Sofia heaved another sigh. "I had another nightmare."

Amber brushed some stray locks behind Sofia's ear and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It always goes the same way," her sister told her. "I… I was trapped in the amulet again. Vor wasn't even there to fight, I was just… alone. I could see all of you looking at the amulet, but I couldn't get out. Nothing worked, not even the spell. I was trapped in there." The tears in her eyes spilled over and she wiped at them. "I had to watch you all grow old and die while I stayed the same, stuck in the amulet."

A comforting arm wrapped around her shoulders and brought her closer. Sofia accepted the hug and pressed her head against Amber's shoulder as the blonde princess rubbed her back soothingly. "Sofia, I know it scared you to be trapped in there." She blinked. "I can't even begin to imagine how alone you must have felt being stuck in there even for a short period of time.

"But you're _not_ stuck in the amulet, see? The spell _did _work and now, you're back here, with us, with your family."

"I know," Sofia breathed. "I _know_ that, Amber, but…"

"You're still scared," her big sister finished. "And that's okay, Sofia. It's okay to be afraid. You don't have to be brave all the time. But know that we're never going to stop being here for you, no matter how scared you get."

Sofia knew that. It would just take a little longer than four weeks before she could even begin to shake the nightmares of what happened. Still, feeling her sister hug her and comfort her did help ease the tension in her body. When no one else was there, Amber always had a strange way of showing up.

With that in mind, Sofia focused on evening her breathing. Her tears still dribbled from her eyes, but Amber didn't say anything about Sofia getting her nightgown wet. Instead, she rubbed Sofia's back and scratched her scalp to soothe her. They stayed that way for several minutes.

At last, Sofia pulled back and Amber wiped the tears from her sister's eyes. "There, now no more of that."

"Thanks, Amber," the younger princess whispered. "But… why are you awake? And… coming to my room?"

Amber grew quiet, her eyes falling to their joined hands. Sofia's heart fell. She knew what that meant. She must not have been the only one having nightmares tonight. Reaching forward, she placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, making Amber's eyes flick up to her.

"Amber?"

Eyes the color of their owner's namesake closed momentarily before the crown princess whispered, "Can I just… hold your hands for a minute?"

Sofia didn't say anything, tightening her fingers over Amber's. This had been happening since the incident as well. Amber had variations of the same dream, much the same as Sofia. But while Sofia's dreams were about her isolation, Amber's weren't nearly as kind.

"She tortured you," Amber whispered. Sofia waited patiently, knowing she would elaborate. "She used your enchantlet to… She made it so you couldn't move. You were _helpless_. And she had that terrifying smile on her face the entire time. Every lash, every cut, ever drop of blood made it widen until it was the only thing I could see. It didn't stop, even when you were no longer awake, she just kept going. With that mouse and _Wormwood_ laughing the whole time."

Tears poured down Amber's cheeks as she whimpered, "And there was nothing I could do, but watch. It was like I was frozen, as if someone had glued my limbs down. I could only watch and beg her to stop. She never did."

Sofia leaned forward, bringing the blonde into a hug. "It didn't happen, Amber," she whispered. "None of that happened. I'm still here, see? And Vor is gone. Completely gone."

Amber nodded, sniffing. "Can I see?"

Sofia paused. This was another thing Amber tended to do whenever she had a nightmare, but Sofia was more skeptical about this. "Amber, I don't really think-."

"Sofia, please," Amber pleaded. "I need to see, to know what I could have lost that day, to remind myself what could have happened."

"Fine," the younger princess murmured. "But first, you have to make the promise."

Amber bit her lip and Sofia's eyes hardened. "Amber, I'm not showing you unless you make the promise."

There was silence for several moments. Sofia knew it was hard for her sister to do this, but Amber needed to understand. Amber chewed her lip. She knew Sofia did this every time, but she could never truly believe it until she said it, and saying it was the hard part.

At last, Amber took a deep breath. "I promise I will not blame myself for what happened. Nothing that happened that day was my fault. _They _aren't my fault."

The words tasted sour in her mouth and more tears rolled down her cheeks. Of course they were her fault. If she had just held on tighter, Sofia wouldn't have them. She was supposed to do her duty as a big sister, but instead, she'd failed to protect her youngest sibling.

Sofia nodded and reached down, lifting her nightshirt. Amber eyes roved over the mangled flesh sadly. A pale hand reached out and touched the one just shy of Sofia's heart, feeling the rough patch meet the smooth skin in a clash of surfaces. These scars shouldn't be here, not on Sofia. Sofia was so pure-hearted and selfless; she didn't deserve this. And she wouldn't have it had it not been for Amber.

Sofia dropped her shirt, covering the other scar over her stomach. Reaching forward, she kept a tight hold on her sister, letting Amber cry against her shoulder. She made Amber promise every time in the hopes that one day, she would believe it, but that was a long way off with the way she kept beating herself up about it.

After several moments, Amber's sobs slowed and she pulled back. Sofia wiped away the tears staining her cheeks and smiled. "Amber, it really wasn't your fault this happened. If not for you, I could have actually turned out way worse."

"I know," her sister whispered. "But I'm supposed to be the oldest, supposed to look out for you-."

"And you _did_," Sofia told her emphatically. "You've been beside me for so long, even when you were scared or angry. You stayed beside me when Ivy tried to take over the kingdom, and you're the only one who knew I was going to the Mystic Isles. If not for you, who would have been able to let Mom and Dad know where to look if something happened to me?"

Sofia squeezed Amber's hand. "You've always been there for me, Amber. This was no different."

The elder princess looked away momentarily before slowly nodding. It didn't feel right, but if Sofia was telling her that, then some part of it had to be true. Still, she could've done more, been faster, something.

Sighing, she said, "Maybe we should head to bed?"

"Good idea," her little sister agreed. "Do you… wanna sleep with me again tonight?"

"If you don't mind?" Sofia only smiled and pulled the blankets back. Amber climbed under with her and the pair grasped hands. Amber preferred holding Sofia's hand as she went back to sleep; it helped her know that her sister was still there and not in the evil clutches of a maniacal sorceress.

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**_Remember, sneak peeks and updates are available on my tumblr, gothalbinoangel-fanfiction. You can also ask questions there. I just opened up commissions, too!_**


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